Eric Robert Rudolph to be tried for abortion clinic bombing in Alabama first

Eric Robert Rudolph will appear in court in Birmingham, AL today where he is expected to enter a plea. According to the Associated Press, Rudolph’s lawyer refuses to discuss whether or not Rudolph maintains his innocence.

Rudolph will face his first trial in Alabama for the bombing of the New Woman All Woman Heath Care clinic that killed an off-duty police officer and permanently injured a clinic nurse, according to CBSNews.com. Attorney General John Ashcroft stated that the trial in Alabama would be "relatively short and straightforward." The deadly bombing in Birmingham apparently offers the strongest case against Rudolph based on eyewitness accounts at the scene of the bombing and physical evidenced later uncovered by police from Rudolph's property, the Associated Press reported this afternoon. Rudolph will then faces charges in Atlanta, GA for his connection to three bombings including and abortion clinic, a gay nightclub, and the Centennial Park bombing at the 1996 Olympic Games that killed one person and injured over one hundred.

In another report form the Associated Press this afternoon, Rudolph apparently spoke to police officials about surviving in the wilderness while he was on the run and gave accounts of hunting, foraging for supplies, and eating acorns and lizards to survive. County Sheriff Keith Lovin told the Associated Press that Rudolph hasn't yet been asked about any assistance he may have received and he didn't offer any information spontaneously. Sheriff Lovin said he does not believe that Rudolph survived on his own for five years without assistance from someone.